My grandma always made botamochi for the spring equinox.
When I was a child, I thought that my grandma would make it forever.
This is a delicious botamochi made with fragrant red bean paste and chewy rice.
TOC
INGREDIENTS for Botamochi : 8 rice balls
- 150g glutinous rice (sweet rice)
- 150g adzuki beans
- 150g sugar
- a pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS for Botamochi
STEP
Preparation
- Wash the glutinous rice and soak it in water for at least an hour.
STEP
Make Azuki Beans Paste
- Rinse the beans gently.
- Add azuki beans and plenty of water to a pot and heat over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Discard the broth.
- Return the azuki beans to the pot, add 800ml of water and heat over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour until the beans are soft.
(If any scum appears during the process, skim it off. If the water gets low, add water.) - Add half of the sugar and simmer for a while over medium heat. Add the remaining sugar and boil down until you can draw a line with a spatula on the bottom of the pot.
- Add a pinch of salt and turn off the heat. Spread it on a cooking tray, let it cool, and divide it into 8 pieces.
STEP
Cook Rice
- Drain the glutinous rice in a colander and put it in the rice cooker (or pot).
- Add 180ml of water and cook.
STEP
Make Botamochi
- Place the cooked rice in a bowl and mash half the rice with a pestle moistened with water.
- Dip your hands in salted water (or use plastic wrap) and roll the rice into 8 balls.
- Spread the azuki beans paste on plastic wrap, place the rolled rice on top, and wrap it in azuki beans paste.